Letter to Myself
by rittenden
Summary: Johnny tries a writing exercise. Oneshot. Un-beta'd.


**A/N:** So this is what happens when you're working on something else and your muse is left to her own devices. Standard disclaimer applies. Hey - this little thing just tripped us over into the 1.5k mark!

* * *

_Dear 16-year-old me,_

_Hi! So I bet you're wondering what I'm doing writing to you, huh? Well, I'll tell ya... I was looking through this book, trying to get an idea of what to write (you're gonna be a famous writer someday, y'know) and I saw this thing that said 'Write a letter to your sixteen-year-old self'. So here I am, writing to you- uh... me. Us. Whatever._

_Anyway... What does one write to their 16-year-old self? I guess I should start with where you end up. Well, where you'll be in ten years, anyway. We both know now that you'll be a famous writer. But for now - well, ten years from your now - we will be a firefighter-paramedic with the Los Angeles County fire department. Pretty cool, huh?_

_It is cool, but it's also a lot of hard work. There's a lot of stuff you're gonna have to learn in order to get here. But believe me, it's worth it. Even when you get the really bad calls or the people you just can't save, it all balances out in the end._

_And the people you'll work with will be great. Not all of them, of course, but most of them. It's like that no matter what you do. Remember Tommy Espinosa? Yeah, there's one like him everywhere you go. _

_One person you'll meet who's extra-special, though, is your future paramedic partner Roy DeSoto. He's a great guy. He's married with two great little kids. You'll like them a lot. You'll meet him when you go for your paramedic training. One word of advice, though: when they train you to use needles, don't stand next to Roy._

_There's another guy you should watch out for - Chet Kelly. Don't get me wrong, he's an alright guy to have at your side in a pinch, but he's got this thing about playing practical jokes and blaming them on a non-existent character he calls 'the Phantom'. Like no one has any idea it's him. For some reason he thinks I - we - are prime targets. Target. Whatever._

_Before you get this far, though, you've got ten years to go through. I guess I should tell you about those._

_Right about now you're thinking you'll never get out of the situation you're in - that you're stuck there for the rest of your life - and you're thinking of some pretty drastic things. I'm proof that you're stronger than that and that you don't let it get you down for long._

_Let's see... It's April, which means that you're gonna up and hightail it outta there in about two and a half months. You'll head to Aunt Rose's place in California and it won't be easy but it'll turn out to be one of the smartest decisions you'll ever make. One word of advice, though: take more water than what you're thinking of. Oh - and another pair of socks. Trust me._

_After you get to Aunt Rose's, don't give her a hard time. She's only trying to do the best she can for you. But if you push the thing about the lima beans she'll give in._

_If you wanna save yourself some grief in the long run, focus more on the pushups and situps and less on the running. You'll meet a guy later who doesn't think lean means strong._

_Stay away from monkeys. I mean it. And tell everyone else to stay away from them too._

_Keep your eyes open. Don't lose your handy-talkie - or your helmet. Your captain's a great guy but he gets really hot under the collar about your helmet. Not to mention it's expensive to replace._

_Don't offer your fold-out chair to Roy. And don't try to help when he's having an argument with his wife. You'll just get into trouble on both counts._

_Try not to put yourself in situations where you'll get hurt. I know it's not easy but it's not worth the weeks of griping you'll get from the guys when they send Craig Brice in to replace you._

_Make sure you let the guys know how much you appreciate it when they do you a good turn. Sometimes you don't say it when you ought to. _

_Try not to talk Roy's ear off. He's really patient but even he has his limits._

_Don't ever - EVER - tell Chet you can't sleep..._

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"What are you writing? You know it's two o'clock in the morning?"

"Uh... Nothing. Hey, Roy - did you ever think of becoming a famous novelist?"

"A what?"

"Sure! See, I was thinking..."


End file.
